Subject: Re: libahdi [Re: CVS commit: basesrc]
To: None <tech-userlevel@netbsd.org>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 02/10/2000 20:21:26
> Can I add a suggestion for functionality for the library?  A nice
> interface for retrieving geometry information (particularly for BIOS
> geometry for those ports that have it) would be great.

What about drives that have multiple geometries?  Such as practically
any modern (ZBR) drive?  Do you call it once per notch, or do you have
a structure that can hold info for many notches at once, or what?

And what do you want for geometry info for devices that don't really
have geometry, such as flash cards (which often look like disks to
software)?

Given what you imply you want this for (msdosfs filesystems), I suspect
you don't really want the drive geometry for *any* notch; what you
actually want is a tuple of numbers that satisfies certain ancient
historical constraints, even if it's grossly false as a description of
the drive's actual geometry (if any)...in which case, I don't see any
reason you shouldn't make it up yourself.

					der Mouse

			       mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
		     7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39  4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B